Archinect - News

The Modern Urbanism of Cook's Camden

2018-01-23T14:08:00-05:00

The council housing designed 50 years ago for a progressive London borough remains a potent symbol of the achievements of postwar social democracy.

Prompted by Mark Swenarton's recent book, Cook's Camden, Douglas Murphy looks at the radically experimental public housing estates built by the London borough from 1966 to 1975, and the reevaluation of these extraordinary projects currently underway in our own era of unaffordable cities and triumphant privatization.

Neave Brown, social housing pioneer and 2018 RIBA Royal Gold Medal recipient, has passed away

2018-01-10T13:10:00-05:00

Following a long battle with terminal lung cancer, the beloved architect Neave Brown has passed away at the age of 88. Known for his modernist social housing, Brown's projects are considered to be some of most innovative and successful low-cost housing schemes of the late 20th century with many of his complexes judged as some of the best places anywhere to live; Brown himself, even lived in one.

He also had, prior to his passing, been the only living architect to have all their works heritage listed. So, when RIBA announced back in October that they would be honoring Brown with their lifetime achievement award, the Royal Gold Medal—which he was nominated for by residents of his Alexandra Road scheme—the architecture community in the UK (and beyond) was delighted.

Many felt that Brown was deserving of this honor much earlier in his career; the award, and more generally, the renewed interest in his work, was a rare optimistic moment last year, cheered by many. Brown had taken a step...

Neave Brown, this year's RIBA Royal Gold Medal laureate, caught by "dumbfounding surprise" to receive highest honor

2017-10-06T14:25:00-04:00

“It is an absolutely dumbfounding surprise [...] I stopped following architecture years ago, so I had no idea there was this renewed interest in my work until recently. I thought my buildings were a curiosity of the past that people had largely forgotten about.” Brown is now celebrated for his inventive housing schemes and enjoys the accolade of being the only living architect to have all of his work in the UK listed. But recognition has been a long time coming.

Social housing pioneer Neave Brown, now 88 years old, was awarded the RIBA Royal Gold Medal, the UK's highest accolade for architecture, just a week ago. The Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright got a chance to chat with Brown about his career and good London housing.

Current condition of Alexandra Road Estate. Image courtesy of RIBA.